our
story
Curious King aims to take the most loved books in Sci-Fi and Fantasy and elevate them to a level they deserve. We achieve this by working with the best in industry when it comes to printing, binding, and artwork.
about
curious king
The short version: disgruntled recruitment consultant discovers limited edition, illustrated books. Starts press.
The long version: founder Anthony Kaye decides to purchase first editions of his favourite fantasy series. Whilst scouring the internet, he discovers an incredible cover he hasn’t seen before, and after further research, the world of limited-run books has been brought to light. A new passion born.
After realising certain out-of-print editions were hard to source and expensive, the idea to do his own personal version, so limited it was a one of one crystallised and work began. A long 10 months later, and his first book was complete (though technically a bootleg, whoops). Having enjoyed the process immensely, the idea of starting a publishing company formed.
The original personal project was well received as a “curiosity” in the collecting community and attracted enough attention to start a commercial project. Without the funds to publish, the first project was a rebind of 26 First Editions of Ready Player One by Ernest Cline.
Once these were sold and out the door, the real publishing started. And where better to start than with Joe Abercrombie’s The First Law. The rest is currently unfolding.
a 4 step process:
how our books come to life
1.
Artwork. This includes both colour paintings and black-and-white sketches. Our books typically have 10-12 colour paintings and 20-30 sketches. If the book has black-and-white sketches utilised as part of the copy, these need to be finished prior to printing. Our artists are engaged right at the start of the process as it can be very time-consuming.
2.
Design. Once the art is in hand, the final manuscript can be produced, ready for printing. The formatting of the test is particularly important within fine press for readability. The second part of the design process encompasses the bindings and the book design itself. This can be a very lengthy process due to the variety of materials and craftspeople utilised on each of our books.
3.
Printing. We’re well on the way once we start printing. Most of our books are letterpress printed (an ancient and tactile way of printing). Though we also utilise offset litho printing when necessary. The printing process can take several months, depending upon the length of the book.
4.
Binding. Is this where the magic happens? We think so. Once the printed pages have been received, the bookblocks can be folded and sewn together. This is when the tipped-in colour plates can be added. Then it’s to binding and case-making. Each book comes with either a slipcase or traycase (or something even more interesting than that), and it’s up to the binder to create and finish these books.
what's next?
More books. That’s it. There are lots of absolutely world-class pieces of Fantasy and Sci-Fi literature, and we want to do as many of them as possible. The only condition is that the founder has to love it.
We are also exploring ephemera that fits nicely with our publications. To us, these titles are more than just books. And sometimes, that means our publications need more than just printed page.